Stocks Set For Weak Open - US Steel (X) And Hewlett Packard (HPQ) Up In Pre-Market

Posted: Thursday, September 02, 2010 7:59 AM EDT
By: Market Intelligence Center Staff

Stock futures are mixed this morning setting up a weak open a day after investors sent stocks surging to start the new month. Asian stock markets ended higher Thursday, though regional gains were tempered by caution ahead of Friday's non-farm payrolls data. In China, Ping An Insurance Group Co. led financial stocks up on merger activity, while strong August sales boosted automobile shares. Energy stocks were broadly higher after crude-oil prices jumped overnight. European stocks edged lower on Thursday, as investors locked in some of the previous session's strong gains and displayed reluctance to take big positions ahead of the release of more U.S. economic data. Nine of the ten Asian/Pacific markets we watch are up. The Japan Nikkei 225 is up 1.52%. The Jakarta Composite is down 0.42%. Five of the ten European markets we watch are up. The OSE Norway All Share is down 0.35%. The Belgium Bel 20 is up 0.39%. In pre-market trading Exxon Mobil (XOM), AK Steel (AKS), Genworth Financial (GNW), Hewlett Packard (HPQ) and US Steel (X) are up, while Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), Goldman Sachs (GS), Bank of America (BAC), Carnival (CCL) and JP Morgan Chase and Co (JPM) are down. [InvestorsKeyhole, various news and data sources]